Helen R. Horkan, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Matt Gibson, Ph.D., at the Stowers Institute, has been awarded a prestigious Wellcome Early-Career Award. The program supports outstanding researchers as they begin to establish their independent research programs. The award will support Horkan while she develops the leadership skills needed to launch a successful lab. She will be hosted in the lab of her mentor, Jordi Solana, Ph.D., and is sponsored by Professor Austin Smith, Ph.D., director of the Living Systems Institute.

While earning her Ph.D. at the University of Galway, under the supervision of Professor Uri Frank, Ph.D., Horkan studied genome stability, evolution and regeneration using Hydractinia, a small colonial marine organism that serves as a powerful model for understanding fundamental biological processes. At the Stowers Institute, her current research focuses on how stem cells in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis differentiate during development and regeneration. Horkan is interested in how animals generate and maintain diverse cell types throughout their lives and how these mechanisms have evolved across species.

Beginning in 2027, Horkan will launch her own research program at the Living Systems Institute at the University of Exeter, in Exeter, England. Horkan plans to resume using Hydractinia, along with Podocoryna, to investigate longstanding questions about stem cell potential, niche influence, and evolution of body plan complexity.

“This is a huge step in my research career,” said Horkan. “I am confident in taking it thanks to the unique environment I have experienced at Stowers. I have already begun to build many of the skills needed through the support of Matt Gibson, who trusted me to lead my own project and mentor technicians and students.”

The Wellcome Award will support Horkin in establishing her own research program and provide opportunities to develop expertise in laboratory leadership, team management, and research administration. The program supports scientists across a broad range of disciplines and is intended to strengthen the future of science by investing in promising early-career investigators.